Lent: Pray differently, praying great things
Praying can be frustrating. Most Christians are convinced that they should pray more than they do. But it’s hard. Some don’t pray because they don’t know what to say. It can seem that the best praying is done by super-spiritual types who have command of some sacred vocabulary. The forty days to Palm Sunday February 13 – March 24, 2013 makes an ideal time to venture into a season of sustained, hope-filled prayer. To pray differently, praying great things. Because of this sense of frustration, instead of calling people to pray more, we need to urge people to pray differently than they may have learned or experienced. How differently? In what ways should our praying be different? Waymakers is a mobilization ministry focused on seeing Christ’s glory enhanced and advanced by sensitive, persistent prayer. Their website offers new ways to pray differently, equip and encourage Christians to pursue a vision of living in a prayed-for community, and of course, a prayed for world.
Pray: that the Holy Spirit will teach us new ways to pray that will change the world. (Lk.11:1)
More: http://waymakers.org/about/
UK sees rise in suicides
2011 saw a significant rise in the number of people in the UK taking their own life, according to new figures. According to the Office for National Statistics, some 6,045 people committed suicide in 2011, up by 437 on the previous year. An average of 11.8 people per 100,000 population ended their lives in 2011, compared to 11.1 people in 2010. Men between the ages of 30 and 44 were most likely to take their own life. Figures from the ONS reveal that the rate of suicides among men in 2011 was the highest since 2002, with 4,552 men committing suicide. The suicide rate among women was far lower, with 1,493 women killing themselves in 2011. The average number of suicides among women fell across all age categories in the last three decades. The 2010 and 2011 figures among men brought an end to more than 10 years of falling suicide rates.
Pray: that the increasing numbers of suicides would cease and the causes be found. (Is.41:10)
More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/uk.sees.rise.in.suicides/31497.htm
Radical police integrity reforms announced
Theresa May introduced measures to root out police corruption. All officers must declare second jobs they do. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) will expand to investigate all serious complaints. Last year the IPCC investigated only 130 of the 2,100 cases referred to it, the remainder returned to individual police forces to investigate. Nearly a third of these internally-investigated complaints were found to have been mishandled at appeal. The Home Secretary will draw on the resources currently devoted to the internal professional standards departments of individual police forces to provide the increased capacity for the IPCC, and will give the IPCC powers to investigate private sector companies working for the police. Ms May also said she was prepared to consider any further legislative changes requested by the Commission.
Pray: that all investigations into complaints against the police will be just and righteous – may there be a better atmosphere of confidence in our police. (Ps.9:16)
More: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/press-releases/1155613
Million 'dementia friends' needed
Comedians Jo Brand and Meera Syal have become two of England's first 'dementia friends', in an initiative launched by the Alzheimer's Society. And the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has pledged to become one too. The scheme aims to reach one million people in England by 2015 with free information sessions exploring what it is like to live with the condition. The £2.4m project is supported by the Government and funded by the department of health and cabinet office. The Alzheimer's Society says around 800,000 people in the UK have a form of dementia. And one in three people over the age of 65 will go on to develop the condition. The organisation wants the volunteer-led sessions, taking place in workplaces and town halls across the country, to ‘change the way the nation thinks, talks and acts’.
Pray: that this initiative would succeed in finding many hundreds to come alongside those in need. (Job.19:14)
More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21415594
MPs confirm public order law reform
MPs have confirmed that a controversial public order law that criminalises ‘insulting’ words or behaviour will be reformed to give greater freedom of speech. The move follows the Government giving way on the issue last month, after a vote in the House of Lords. The bid to change the law was spearheaded by Reform Section 5 – a campaign supported by The Christian Institute, the National Secular Society, the Peter Tatchell Foundation and others. Reacting to the news, Simon Calvert, the Campaign Director for Reform Section 5 (RS5), said it was ‘a great victory for free speech’. He also commented: ‘This is a fulfilment of the Home Secretary’s promise to accept the amendment, which was passed by the House of Lords in December. We can now say, officially, that Reform Section 5 has achieved its goal. The amendment cannot now be overturned, and so will become law later this year.’
Pray: that the outworking of this bill will bring a greater freedom of speech. (1Pet.3:10)
More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/mps-confirm-public-order-law-reform-in-free-speech-victory/
Vatican City: Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation
The Pope’s resignation letter said, ‘After examining my conscience before God, I am certain that my strengths, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.’ His brother Georg Ratzinger said, ‘He felt he was gradually losing the abilities he had that it takes to fulfil this office properly,’ The Pope later said, ‘In today's rapid changes and amid questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strengths which in the last few months have deteriorated in me and I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.’ Meanwhile the media are asking could the next Pope be black?‘Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, Peter Turkson of Ghana and Marc Ouellet of Canada are among cardinals tipped to replace Pope Benedict XVI.
Pray: the Pope and his team in the days leading up to and during the conclave to elect a new Pope. (Is.46:4-11b)
Vatican City: Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation
The Pope’s resignation letter said, ‘After examining my conscience before God, I am certain that my strengths, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.’ His brother Georg Ratzinger said, ‘He felt he was gradually losing the abilities he had that it takes to fulfil this office properly,’ The Pope later said, ‘In today's rapid changes and amid questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strengths which in the last few months have deteriorated in me and I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.’ Meanwhile the media are asking could the next Pope be black?‘Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, Peter Turkson of Ghana and Marc Ouellet of Canada are among cardinals tipped to replace Pope Benedict XVI.
Pray: the Pope and his team in the days leading up to and during the conclave to elect a new Pope. (Is.46:4-11b)
Radical Islam surging in Balkans
Just as al-Qaida is extending its reach through franchises from the Arabian Peninsula and across North Africa, it could soon be linked up with the growth of radical Islamists in the Balkans. In the 1990s, Sunni Muslims began to spread into Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Kosovo, which once was the heart of Christian Serbia. This spread is offset by Christian majorities in Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. The Balkans, however, have a history of Islamist concentration since the end of the Cold War. Osama bin Laden, for example, began setting up charities there as a way of funnelling money to help with the spread of Islamist militancy against the Christians. The Balkans were where Muslims retreated following the unsuccessful siege of Vienna on September 11, 1683. It was a battle of the Holy Roman Empire along with other military forces of Christian countries to counter the spread of the Ottoman Empire into Europe.
Pray: against the spread of radical Islamism across the Balkans. (Jer.25:32)
Radical Islam surging in Balkans
Just as al-Qaida is extending its reach through franchises from the Arabian Peninsula and across North Africa, it could soon be linked up with the growth of radical Islamists in the Balkans. In the 1990s, Sunni Muslims began to spread into Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Kosovo, which once was the heart of Christian Serbia. This spread is offset by Christian majorities in Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. The Balkans, however, have a history of Islamist concentration since the end of the Cold War. Osama bin Laden, for example, began setting up charities there as a way of funnelling money to help with the spread of Islamist militancy against the Christians. The Balkans were where Muslims retreated following the unsuccessful siege of Vienna on September 11, 1683. It was a battle of the Holy Roman Empire along with other military forces of Christian countries to counter the spread of the Ottoman Empire into Europe.
Pray: against the spread of radical Islamism across the Balkans. (Jer.25:32)
A short video clip concerning the upcoming election and the campaign that is happening now. Please pray for an honest election and for just leadership for this nation of SE Asia that will eliminate corruption and uphold the religious and political freedom of all Malaysia’s peoples.